Chapter 11: A Fortuitous Encounter

"Affection points represent how close you are to someone. For instance, with Busujima Saeko , once she decided to become your woman, your affection points with her started at 80. And after you both shared a bed last night, your affection points soared to 90."

"If you had done something more intimate last night, your affection points would have hit the maximum of 100," the system explained.

"Spiritual energy is the power needed to cultivate the 'Supreme Divine Art' you're practicing. Haven't you noticed that your body is already filled with energy?"

Hearing this, Lin Feng quickly checked his body and felt a strange force swirling around him.

"Is this the spiritual energy you mentioned?" Lin Feng asked excitedly.

"Yes, host. Right now, you're at the ninth stage of Qi Refining. Once you reach the Golden Core stage, you'll be able to control flying swords with your divine sense. When you reach the Tribulation Crossing stage, you'll be able to tear through the void and travel to higher realms. Of course, the most important thing is that every level you achieve will extend your lifespan." (By the way, the levels of cultivation in this world are: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Separation, Soul Manifestation, Body Integration, Mahayana, Void Refining, and Tribulation Crossing.)

"Wait, are you saying that I've already become a cultivator?" Lin Feng's excitement was nearly overwhelming. Cultivators! The invincible beings in countless novels and TV shows—immortal beings who've lived for centuries.

"Yes," the system confirmed.

"Then, how do I get more spiritual energy? Do I earn it by completing tasks?" Lin Feng inquired.

"The spiritual energy task is a one-time thing. After this, you'll have to gain it by slaying monsters, which means defeating enemies. You can check your attributes to see how this works," the system replied.

Lin Feng blushed in embarrassment. He hadn't paid attention to his attribute panel, the only time he'd opened it was during a lottery event two days ago.

"I've explained everything, but let me remind you: monsters in this world include people or animals from different timelines or dimensions. For example, in this world, zombies are considered monsters. At your current level, you'll need to kill around a thousand zombies to reach Foundation Establishment. Don't worry, with the spiritual energy flowing in you, you'll never feel fatigue." The system continued, then added, "And by the way, I've benefited from the spiritual energy you gained too, so now I'm going to rest."

As the system began to fade back into Lin Feng's body, he stopped it.

"Wait." Lin Feng stopped the system.

"Is there anything else?" the system asked, clearly confused.

"Yes. System, I've noticed something, and now I'm more sure of it. Are you... human? I'm starting to feel like you're almost like one, with emotions and thoughts of your own," Lin Feng asked, voicing the doubts that had been nagging at him.

"I... don't know," the system answered, after a moment of contemplation.

"Alright, fine. Calling you 'system' is starting to feel a bit distant. How about I start calling you 'Lingzhi' from now on?" Lin Feng suggested casually.

The system, or rather, Lingzhi, agreed to the name before returning to Lin Feng's body.

Feeling at ease after having his questions answered, Lin Feng's mood lightened. He turned to Saeko, who was nearby, and immediately pulled her into a hug.

"What's going on? Why the sudden excitement?" Saeko was taken by surprise as Lin Feng wrapped his arms around her, her face flushing a deep red. She looked up at his exuberant expression and asked softly.

"Heh, my sweet Saeko, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have this amazing chance. But looks like our return will be delayed a bit," Lin Feng said, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Who's your 'sweet Saeko'? What's going on?" Saeko blushed, still uncertain about what had just happened, but seeing Lin Feng's excitement, she couldn't help but ask.

"Heh, I'm going to hunt zombies—the more, the better." Lin Feng pulled out a map from his storage space. The map was marked with several circles and X's.

The circles represented the locations of zombie hordes, with their size indicating the number of zombies, and the X's marked areas where the zombie groups had already been eradicated.

"Saeko, let's go here. We'll wipe out these zombies." Lin Feng pointed to an area nearby with a moderate number of zombies.

"Okay." Saeko nodded in agreement.

Lin Feng and Saeko hopped on a motorcycle and sped toward the location.

After traveling about a kilometer, they heard gunfire in the distance. They exchanged a glance before heading in the direction of the sound.

When they arrived, they saw a military Hammer parked in the middle of the road, with a makeshift wire fence in front. A group of seven people, together with a dog, were surrounded by zombies.

Lin Feng recognized them. "Looks like a bunch of old acquaintances. Saeko, do you think we should help them?"

The group included Shizuka, Saya, and the others.

"What will happen to them?" Saeko didn't answer directly but asked a question.

"If nothing unexpected happens, Sayas mother will come to their rescue. But I don't know if they'll last without you," Lin Feng replied.

"You decide. I don't mind," Saeko said, though her eyes remained fixed on Shizuka and the others.

"Then let's go. Time to kill some zombies and level up," Lin Feng said, charging forward toward the zombie horde.

Saeko watched his back and smiled faintly. "He knows how to read people. Maybe he's someone worth trusting."

Meanwhile, "Komuro, don't worry about me. Run!" Miyamoto Rei urged.

"No, we die together!" Komuro Takashi shouted, shooting at an approaching zombie.

Inside the Hummer, Marikawa Shizuka was trying to restart the vehicle, while Saya offered advice.

Toda was shooting zombies non-stop from the vehicle, while little Alice Shirai passed extra magazines to Hirano, and the dog Gikou kept biting down on a zombie's leg.